Treating Tinnitus Without Medication

Anxiety is a normal part of life. However, when anxiety interferes with a person’s day-to-day life, it can become an issue.

While some anxiety disorders are specific to a certain phobia or a compulsive behavior, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) describes people that have feelings of overall worry and anxiety. Worry can range from money troubles, to relationships, to career choices, and much more. About 1 in 30 people have GAD.

Although each case is different, common symptoms of GAD include:

Tinnitus involves the persistent experience of a ringing in the ear without an external cause. However, it may include the persistent experience of other noises such as:

buzzing

humming

whistling

whooshing

Once a physician and/or audiologist has ruled out a medical basis for tinnitus, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy may help you manage these symptoms. Indeed, research indicates that individuals treated with CBT have reported improvements in quality of life and reductions in distress associated with tinnitus symptoms.

Tinnitus can be very psychologically distressing. In many cases, individuals interpret their symptoms of tinnitus in such a way that contributes to heightened stress and anxiety and interferes with activities like sleeping–all of which can further contribute to severity of the tinnitus. In CBT, you will learn to identify and break this cycle of distress, and you will learn more effective techniques for managing this disorder.

In some cases, tinnitus results from a clearly identifiable medical problem, such as inner ear damage, a torn eardrum, wax buildup, or an infection. If you experience a sudden onset of tinnitus, you should first consult a physician–especially if you also experience